Leeville bridge, Grand Isle cops subject of legislation

BATON ROUGE — Bridge tolls and Grand Isle Port Commission officers are topics of two bills being considered during the ongoing legislative session.

Jeremy AlfordCapitol Correspondent

BATON ROUGE — Bridge tolls and Grand Isle Port Commission officers are topics of two bills being considered during the ongoing legislative session.

Both bills are by Rep. Jerry “Truck” Gisclair, D-Larose, whose House District 54 includes Grand Isle.

The island is connected to Lafourche Parish via Golden Meadow and La. 1, a stretch that receives perennial attention by the state Legislature and Congress due to its connection to Port Fourchon.

Gisclair’s House Bill 636 would eliminate $38,000 worth of toll income by allowing “free and unhampered passage” on the Tomey J. Doucet Bridge in Leeville for emergency vehicles from Grand Isle. That would include all official logo-bearing vehicles, fire trucks, police cars, ambulances and levee-district automobiles.

Toll collections began in August. The money is used to repay the $156 million in loans it took to build the bridge, an integral part of the ongoing effort to upgrade much of La. 1 south of U.S. 90.

According to an analysis conducted by the Legislative Fiscal Office, the bridge had amassed $1.9 million as of Feb. 28. The amount is less than anticipated.

The tolls, paid only by southbound drivers, depend on a vehicle’s size and starting point. The fee is 50 cents for Grand Isle residents, $2.50 for two-axle and $12 for six-axle vehicles. The prices will rise at least four times, per the loan agreement.

The first increase is set for 2013, when drivers of two-axle vehicles will go from paying $2.50 to $3. The fee for six-axle vehicles will go from $12 to $15.

By 2028, the tolls will double, costing $5 for two-axle and $24 for six-axle vehicles to cross.

There’s been resistance by drivers, particularly in Grand Isle, who say the federal government should pay for the bridge.

Gisclair’s legislation was scheduled for a hearing this past week in front of the House Transportation Committee, but he opted to defer it.

He can bring it up again later. The session won’t end until June 21.

Gisclair also has House Bill 954, which authorizes the Grand Isle Port Commission to hire police officers.

The 3-year-old police agency was abruptly disbanded last year in the wake of a state report that says it was created without authorization and its officers weren’t subject to proper background checks.

Grand Isle’s all-volunteer Harbor Police Department, organized in 2007 to aid rescue operations, voluntarily suspended its operations in October when investigators first raised questions about its legitimacy.

Gisclair’s legislation would give the Port Commission the clear authority to create the agency.

House Bill 954 is still pending introduction and has not been referred to a committee.

To view both bills, visit www.legis.state.la.us.

Capitol Correspondent Jeremy Alford can be reached at jeremy@jeremyalford.com.